Bismarck weekly tribune., 1887-09-23
n CHARLIE IS SUMNER.
His Kindness Toward His Clerks-visit.
ssf ing the Sick and Those in Prison.

His Kindness Toward His Clerks.visit-
ing the Sick and Those in Prison. "
Perhaps something Of the senator's kindness
Of heart may be well shown BY his treatment
Of his succeeding clerks when they were ILL
One Of them was suffering from an attack Of
of fever and agne. He occupied room in the
senator's house. The shakes were followed
I by q fever that had drenched the poor fellow
in perspirat;on and left him exhausted. He
had no knowledge Of the peculiar nature Of
the disease, and thought himself very i'll; but
the senator, who had seen him from time to
time, pooh-poohed the idea. and urged him to
rise, dress and dine with him when he would
meet some pleasant people, He tried to rise,
but was too weak. The senator said that he
would soon put strength into him, and bring
ing a bottle of rare old Burgundy and q COB
let Of cracked ice, filed the glass; then rails
ing the poor fellows head on his knees, he
held the glass while the Clerk drank the con-
tents. Its effect was magical; it was draft
upon his latent strength, and he was enabled
to appear at dinner and play his part well
with his knife and fork, and to assist really
in entertaining the guests present.
& Afterward another of his clerks was tenn
porarily ill, but so much SO that he was
forced to keep his bed. He had brought his
wife and child with him, and they were liv-
ing In such rooms as it was possible to OBJ
tain in Washington during the war. While
they answered their purpose, they were not
exactly fitted for the reception of visitors.
One day the lady was surprised and embar-
raised by finding the senator at her door,
smilingly demanding to see his sick friend.
The clerk got well rapidly, and was soon able
to attend to his business again, and he felt
that the call was made in all Kindness and
sympathy. X
At one time his private secretary became
quite i'll and remained SO for some weeks.
The senator kept himself well informed as to
his condition, and when he began to get bet
ter, arranged for him a long trip into health
giving regions; and finding that financial
reasons precluded the taking of the prescribed
journey, he sent him check as an advance
payment for future services. The invalid
was as much encouraged by the senator's evil
dent belief that he would certainly be able to
resume his functions as by the trip itself; .at
any rate, between the two he recovered his
strength, and his family attributed his recov
cry largely to the senator's kindness.
He not only visited the sick, but those also
who were in prison. The New Bedford
schooner called the Pearl sailed for the north
in l848 from Washington with seventy-six
escaping slaves on board She was pursued
and brought back, the slaves were sent to their
owners, and the captain, Mr.. Drayton, with
the mate, Nh. Sayres, were imprisoned III the
Washington city Jail for having tho negroes
on board of their vessel. Mr. Sumner often
visited these poor men, and he also did what
he could for their comfort. He often visited
others who also in his opinion were improp-
erly incarcerated. He had little time for
mere social calls; and the time came finally
when his own strength left him to such an
extent that he availed himself of the privilege
of the oldest member of the senate-Pater
Senatus he was called-and he seldom re-
turned call, and hardly made one except
from time to time upon sick friend, or
when the exigencies of etiquette made it ex-
tremely necessary y.-Arnold Burgess johnson
in The Cosmopolitan.